Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety & Military Affairs, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 192 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this Concurrent Resolution is to urge the Congress of the United States to authorize and appropriate funds to allow all members of the Armed Forces Reserves to have extended access to the TRICARE health care program.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the state Department of Defense.

Your Committee finds that current law allows members of the National Guard and Reserves to receive only one year of cost-share TRICARE health benefits for each ninety-day period of active duty. Your Committee believes that providing our National Guard and Reserve members with access to TRICARE health benefits will maintain the health of our reserve component service members, increase retention and recruitment, and ensure readiness for unexpected deployments. Such access is especially warranted during this trying time of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, in which almost ninety per cent of our Hawaii National Guard members deployed to areas of conflict.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety & Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 192 and recommends its adoption.